5 Fun Indoor Activities in Wisconsin

Are you tired of sitting around the same four walls, watching Netflix and not doing much else? There are so many fun activities that can be done from home, especially if you’re a resident of one of America’s most beautiful states – Wisconsin! From cozy dinners at unique eateries to exploring the outdoors with winter gear on your feet, here are 10 engaging indoor activities in Wisconsin for days when you just don’t feel like leaving.

The 10 Best Indoor Activities in Wisconsin

Milwaukee Public Museum

• Address: 800 W Wells St, Milwaukee, WI 53233, United States
• Map: Click here
• Rating: 4.7 (5227)
• Phone: +1 414-278-2728
• Website: Link
• Opening hours:
  Monday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

  Tuesday: Closed

  Wednesday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

  Thursday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

  Friday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

  Saturday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

  Sunday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
• Reviews:
  Awesome! I have visited numerous museums in the US and around the world. This one stands out as one of the best collections and experiences I have ever had. You can spend an entire day at the museum and still not have seen everything they have to offer. One of the best exhibits is the butterfly sanctuary. Here you fully engage in nature and history. This is a must see for everyone! Please note that the museum will be be moving to a new facility in 2026, in order to house their collection of 4 million and growing.

  ✭✭✭✭✭ By Gretchen Schwartz (4 months ago)

  Very informative History Museum. The employees are very friendly, and always willing to help if asked. Love how much information is tied to each exhibit. This is not a museum that you can do quickly, as even walking through it would take you several hours. I think honestly to interact and read everything it would take you multiple trips. We’ve been here numerous times over the years, and I continue to learn new information when going. We did take our school-age children here, and after spending several hours, they did get tired towards the end. Although we’re ones to really read through things.

  The museum itself is multi-leveled, there are escalators, stairs and elevators to access the various levels. You do get a map when entering , as well as there are various places throughout the museum that has maps. On the ground floor there is a Cafe and a Coffee House with traditional Museum prices. They do have kid friendly options, as well as warm food and snack type items. However, with very good reason, food and drink are not allowed in the exhibit area.

  The planetarium is very cool! We saw the stargazing in Wisconsin presentation, and it was both informational and wonderful to see. Definitely not something you should do if you have motion sickness though.

  Also a big fan of the butterfly exhibit. Love that this is part of the museum. We saw hundreds of butterflies and even had a few land on us in the 20 minutes we spend in here.

  There is a parking garage attached to the museum. You can pay when you’re leaving, or at the kiosk prior to getting in your car.

  Bonus, I’m always surprised how clean it is as well! Kudos to the cleaning staff.

  ✭✭✭✭✭ By J. Garty (4 months ago)

  Very cool museum with a lot to view. You can spend a good 3+ hours in there. There are three floors with escalator/elevators so it’s easily accessible by wheel chair. There is a small coffee shop/cafe for food and snacks.

  Everything is beautifully display and there are employees stationed around the museum for questions/demonstration.

  ✭✭✭✭✭ By PK Lee (6 months ago)

  Great museum. Been here many times. Easy to enjoy for both children and adults. One popular feature is their butterfly exhibit, with hundreds of live butterflies.

  Also they have a great exhibit on the third floor about ancient Egypt, Israel and Babylonia. Plus a great exhibit on old Milwaukee.

  Would be nice if they can add some new exhibits for those of us that come back every year.

  ✭✭✭✭ By Moshe Rapoport (7 months ago)

  I try to make it to the Milwaukee Public Museum any time it’s affordable. They offer free dates for Milwaukee residents. You do have to reserve tickets online for these free dates, so be sure to do that- it can get busy.

  I visited in January 2022, and the small candy shop in the Streets of Old Milwaukee exhibit was closed. It makes sense because of COVID, but it still was a bit sad as it’s always a favorite spot. They offer the candy sold in the regular museum gift shop, though!

  Staff is always very pleasant, too.

  ✭✭✭✭✭ By Grace S (10 months ago)

Discovery World

• Address: 500 N Harbor Dr, Milwaukee, WI 53202, United States
• Map: Click here
• Rating: 4.6 (3463)
• Phone: +1 414-765-9966
• Website: Link
• Opening hours:
  Monday: Closed

  Tuesday: Closed

  Wednesday: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

  Thursday: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

  Friday: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

  Saturday: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

  Sunday: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
• Reviews:
  We came with 2 adults and 4 kids (7, 13, 15, and 18 years old) and all of us had fun. 7yo couldn’t pick the best part, she was having a blast. 15yo enjoyed being able to virtually land a plane and drive a car. 13yo thought the laser cutter was the best part, and I liked being able to have a keepsake. 18yo enjoyed the aquarium the most.
  My only complaint is that the touch tank with sting rays and sturgeon is too high up or deep. Even my tallest (at 5’11) ended up with a soaked sleeve, my 7yo was completely soaked. It’s worth it to have the experience, but an easy fix for the museum.
  Also, there are no lockers or coat checks so plan to carry everything if you’re not using their parking garage.

  ✭✭✭✭ By Jackie Simpson (11 months ago)

  Very nice children’s museum. Plenary to do and some interesting hands on exhibits. We went on a class putting when several other schools were there. Even so, it was well organized and there were really no lines. Would recommend as a fun family putting for kids around 8-12 years old.

  ✭✭✭✭✭ By Ferretti Farmer (7 months ago)

  This place was great for my 4 and 7 year olds! We spent about 3 hours here and really enjoyed the aquarium area. Lots of interactive exhibits and if you ever wanted to understand how gears work, this would be the place to go.

  ✭✭✭✭✭ By Amanda Drews (2 weeks ago)

  Really cool hands-on, it was fun for the adults as much as it was for the children. We got to touch sea creatures.
  The Aquarium area is very relaxing. There are many different areas to explore. Plan on spending the day to get the most out of it because there is a lot to experience.

  ✭✭✭✭✭ By Amalia Rodriguez (6 months ago)

  Visiting from out of state and this was so much fun! What a cool aquarium that was interactive and had a variety of sea animals. There are so many hands on exhibits which my kiddos thoroughly enjoyed. We also loved how educational it all was. The views of Lake Michigan were beautiful too. It was a non busy day and so we got to really enjoy every part of the museum. It would be so worth it for a membership if I lived here.

  ✭✭✭✭✭ By Gaojoua Ly Ka So (2 months ago)

Knuckleheads Trampoline Park ★ Rides ★ Bowling

• Address: 150 N Gasser Rd, Wisconsin Dells, WI 53965, United States
• Map: Click here
• Rating: 4.2 (2560)
• Phone: +1 608-254-7332
• Website: Link
• Opening hours:
  Monday: 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM

  Tuesday: 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM

  Wednesday: 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM

  Thursday: 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM

  Friday: 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM

  Saturday: 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM

  Sunday: 10:00 AM – 9:00 PM
• Reviews:
  Some games were clearly impossible but once you find a good game, you start to enjoy playing and winning tickets. They have token slot games and tap card machine games or straight up pay money for games. There are kid sections and places for adults to grab drinks. Plenty of room and clean. The staff was working hard on the machines being restocked and cleaned. The guy that helped me twice was amazing.
  I’d go back here and have fun spending my money.

  ✭✭✭✭ By Johnny Fizz (8 months ago)

  Add this to your must dos! This is a very unique place! For cold winter days a perfect place to hibernate inside and let the kids play! Very clean! Roller coaster will kinda shock you how thrill ride it is for being small. Great arcade , friendly workers and everything was working and in great shape . Kids & adults had fun here!!

  ✭✭✭✭✭ By Rebecca Braun (10 months ago)

  Brought our 4 boys (mixed ages including teens) for a full day of indoor fun. They really enjoyed it. We spent a few hundred dollars by the time we left. It seems like a weekday is ideal because we didn’t have to wait in lines and it wasn’t congested. There is a Dells coupon book in the lobby with coupons (1was 25% off) that we never saw so make sure you check that out before purchasing.
  It cost us $74 for 4 boys to jump in the trampoline park for 15 minutes. (Socks are 3.50 each) . They may just have had the wrong woman working at that area, the kids called her the warden when we left . She yelled at them for every little thing they did and so they threw up their hands and just left. (No sitting on mats, no hanging on the rims of the basketball nets that they are jumping and DUNKING into, only 1 person on each basketball mat at a time, etc etc.) it was just non stop yelling and a big waste of money.
  Otherwise, fun games, decent prizes, and good family time

  ✭✭✭✭ By The Forward Church (9 months ago)

  Fun for a day inside. The airplane ride was my kids fav, but very squeaky loud(like something needed repair) but arcade was fun got plenty of toys and also did cosmic bowling(my fave part). Very expensive.

  ✭✭✭✭ By Kaitlin Davis (7 months ago)

  Looking for a great place to the kids while your in the dells? Tired of swimming and getting wet? While look know further, Knuckleheads Trampoline park is the place for you. There is so much to do here from go karts, to trampolines, bowling and much much more. There is excitement for all ages younger to adults.

  ✭✭✭✭✭ By Myron Robinson (9 months ago)

Wizard Quest

• Address: 400 Broadway Ave, Wisconsin Dells, WI 53965, United States
• Map: Click here
• Rating: 4.6 (2365)

Madison Children’s Museum

• Address: 100 N Hamilton St, Madison, WI 53703, United States
• Map: Click here
• Rating: 4.7 (1870)
• Phone: +1 608-256-6445
• Website: Link
• Opening hours:
  Monday: Closed

  Tuesday: Closed

  Wednesday: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

  Thursday: 9:00 AM – 8:00 PM

  Friday: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

  Saturday: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

  Sunday: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
• Reviews:
  Fun day. We went in April with 10 & 7 year old. Rooftop and outside areas were too cold to use. A warmer day may have made the experience better. Kids definitely had a good time. Took about 2 hours. Several areas were a little too young for my 10 year old. Staff was kind and helpful.

  ✭✭✭✭ By Josh Orendi (8 months ago)

  This place is very well thought out and a sensory overload of fun, interesting, and interactive things!! There is a small “pay your own price” meals in a sitting area. Staff was great and had geckos and chickens to pet. Overall a great time and easily spent 2 hours exploring, learning, and playing!

  ✭✭✭✭✭ By Chris Wes (4 months ago)

  It’s a touch on the expensive side if you’re just doing a day visit ($36 for 2 adults and 1 child); however in my opinion it’s worth every penny if you stay a few hours or more. The main area is pretty good size and 2.5 floors. There’s lots to do there with a few large playground type areas. I was disappointed at first until I realized (because it’s not very well marked) that there’s a great rooftop area and of course the ground level playground. When you add those in- along with a craft room for slowing down between runs- the place is an excellent overall experience. Plenty of bathrooms and some shared coats if you’re visiting in the winter like we did. Fun place- kid was happy!

  ✭✭✭✭✭ By M Sumner (11 months ago)

  Don’t miss this place!

  Guys if you have little kids you need to check this out!

  It’s worth every penny! I went with my daughter she 8 years old ticket is $12 for her and $12 for me.

  We been there on Sat. since noon and no line to wait staff is very nice. Facilities is clean, restroom is clean…

  Ton of things to do and explore!

  Also things that they’re can learned…

  In door and out door play ground in one place such an amazing fun place for kids with tiny budget.

  Totally satisfy and recommend!

  ✭✭✭✭✭ By Traveling with The Lowing’s (a year ago)

  Our favorite place in Madison. I take my daughter there every other week. We love everything they have from Wonderground, Rooftop, play and craft area. The staff are super friendly. Sign up for their newsletters for special events. The marching band event was super fun.

  ✭✭✭✭✭ By Chimmi Wangmo (6 months ago)

If you’re looking for some indoor activities to keep you busy during your stay in Wisconsin, look no further. We’ve compiled a list of the 10 best indoor activities in the state, so you can make the most of your time here. Whether you’re into history, art, or science, there’s something for everyone on this list. So what are you waiting for? Start exploring!